Ninja Code
by me malum
Summary: The difference between a shinobi and a kunoichi comes down to a truth, a lie and a smile. Oneshot drabble.


Showing pride in the fact that I am a woman. Nah, more like I've had this on my laptop for maybe three years and although I'm not entirely happy with it, I may as well post it. Drabble ahead.

**Warnings**- British spelling. And that's it. God, what's wrong with me?

Started by a quote from Cowboy Beebop, italicised at the beginning.

**Disclaimer**- I _wish_.

* * *

_"Betrayal may come easy to a woman, but men live by a code of honour."_

_"You believe that?"_

_"I'm trying to, real hard."_

* * *

A shinobi will want his opponents to know _they_ are the one who killed them.

A shinobi will, if possible, draw his worthy opponents into some long, flashy, drawn out battle and then, only after being tested to the very limits of their skills, will they respectfully put down the man they've been fighting. A shinobi will, by this point, accept being put down by another shinobi when he is entirely out of chakra and too injured to move a single limb.

A shinobi, if they're good enough, will rise quickly to fame and be in the other nations' bingo books within a few short years. _Everyone_ will know them, and they will face their enemies head on with a weapon in one hand and a high-power jutsu ready to go in the other.

A shinobi is a ninja- they kill, lie, cheat and steal for the right amount of money. But whether from behind a mask- or whether they are one of the shinobi with the power and sheer balls to do so bare-faced- they will face their opponents without fear, and they won't look away as they kill them.

To do any different would betray that intrinsic code they share as men and as tools. Their jobs are nothing to be ashamed of, so they kill with respectful eyes set in a blank face.

A true shinobi will never know the darkest way of being a ninja.

* * *

A kunoichi knows from the start that men are stronger, hairier and uglier than she is ever going to be. She knows that due to simple matters of biology, men will have higher chakra reserves than her and that most could probably overpower her physically as well. She knows that because of this, she will rarely win a battle of stamina, either.

A properly trained kunoichi knows all of the ways to get around these facts.

A kunoichi will generally have a higher kill count than any of her male comrades. It is not a boast- more a matter of fact. While shinobi are sent on high-profile assassinations, a kunoichi will be sent to infiltrate an organisation- and then kill them all in their sleep from the top down.

A kunoichi is more likely to be sent on information gathering missions. These are some of the lower ranked ones on offer, and so in the name of Kyuubi and all that is Holy besides, they are the ones that go wrong.

A kunoichi is the one left standing, the one who walks away from the high body counts at the end of those missions turned wrong.

A kunoichi will not let her targets know that they are her targets. They do not draw their opponents into flashy battles- they sidle in with a friendly smile and on the next day (or week, or month- however long the pretence is deemed necessary) they will stab them in the back.

Most of her targets will never know who killed them. And this is the way she likes it.

Most kunoichi never make it into the bingo books.

Most kunoichi never make it past the rank of special jounin. And those that do are a special subset- the ones who try so hard to be seen as something beyond a weapon with breasts. Those who succeed tend to thereafter stick to the quaint, masculine notion of honest (between ninjas, 'honest' is a relative term. Most often, it can be taken to mean, 'anything goes as long as no one interferes') fights between two opponents- whether that opponent is male or female themselves- when it comes to battle.

It is hard enough for a kunoichi to earn their male comrades' respect; keeping it is something no true _kunoichi_ has ever managed.

A kunoichi will kill an off-guard opponent with a smile on her face and murder in her eyes. Her opponents will never see her coming.

Shinobi find this baffling, and ignore the ugly truth that if it came down to it, even the best and ballsiest couldn't guarantee that they'd be the ones standing at the end of it.

A true kunoichi is a rare breed after all- and when one is discovered, _nobody_ is prepared for her.


End file.
